90 . RECORDS 



and Walter Shriver) have died. Five members have resigned, 

 and one has been dropped ; the total loss for the year is there- 

 fore ten. Eleven new members have been elected, one of them 

 a life member, and three have been reinstated. There is there- 

 fore a net gain of four. 



An important change has been made in the method of publi- 

 cation. Hereafter each article will be published as a separate 

 brochure, to be distributed to those members who shall signify 

 a desire to receive the publications. Together with the pro- 

 ceedings of the Academy, all articles will be published in col- 

 lected form, when sufficient to make a volume of about 600 

 pages. By this procedure prompt publication is assured. 



The past year has witnessed two events of primary impor- 

 tance to the Academy. In the first place, an entire formal 

 reorganization has been effected. At the time of the last An- 

 nual Meeting (Feb. 24) a new charter had just been granted 

 to the Academy by Act of Legislature ; and by this instrument, 

 which replaced that of 18 17, greater freedom for activity and 

 general expansion had been accorded the Academy. Pursuant 

 to its requirements, a Committee of the Council was constituted 

 for the purpose of drawing up a new Constitution and new 

 By-laws ; these have been prepared, accepted by the Council, 

 and adopted by the Academy in business session. While the 

 changes which have been made are more in the letter than in 

 spirit, certain advantageous modifications have been introduced 

 in matters of organization, terminology, and procedure. Among 

 these may be mentioned the change of title of Resident Mem- 

 bers to Active Members, the abolition of the restriction to the 

 number of Fellows, the representation of the Sections in the 

 Council by making their Chairmen, Vice-Presidents of the Acad- 

 emy, the constitution of the Editor as an officer, and the intro- 

 duction of stated limitations to the terms of office of the Presi- 

 dent, Vice-Presidents and Councillors. In the By-laws, changes 

 have been made in the mode of electing Active Members, now 

 nominated directly to the Council, in the establishment of a 

 class of Non-resident Members, and in the chapter relating to 

 sectional organization. 



